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Thursday, September 15, 2011

Theatre: My calling and weapon to teach others

"I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being."Oscar Wilde

Mandisi Arnold Shindo, better renowned to
some by his stage name Dr Disi was born on the 3rd of May 1989 in
Cofimvaba, Eastern Cape. He’s at this time doing his final year Theatre and
Performance at the University of Cape Town. He’s majoring in Community Theatre
Making and Acting.

Talent Found Back in High School

I often find theatre uninteresting, so I
asked him why such a career? He told me that he was doing the then standard
three (Now Grade 5) back then when he started doing drama at school, “It was
for fun then, but later I realised it’s my calling and weapon to teach those
who are not getting the formal classroom teaching.” To this youthful man taking
this career gave him a prospect to educate and train those who don’t believe in
themselves through theatre.

In the middle of other things he is working
at The Little theatre and drama school costume department at the University of
Cape Town as an actor and stage manager. Iselwa Lesizwe Theatre Company as a
group member and actor. Dr Disi is also drawn in with Ikhwezi Youth Development
as an actor. His abilities are amid those of an actor, writer/composer, dancer
and good communication skills towards co-workers. His other interest is surfing
the Internet so that he can mingle and observe other persons.

Appearances

Disi have appeared in a number of professional
theatre productions to mention just a few, The Lesson by Eugene Ionesco,
directed by Geoff Hyland where he appeared as a Male Servant (CSW Boston, America).
Sampling, Gipca, Home Brew and 5:20 Opera made in South Africa. He also made an
appearance as a dancer at a production called Hola 2010 in Cape Town Fan Parks.

He is also a co-founder of Iselwa Lesizwe Theatre Company that
works with young people and provides skills in preparing them for a tertiary
level education. He has worked professionally as an Actor, Puppeteer, Voice and
Dancer with (Magnet Theatre, Pansa and UNIMA).

Theatre is very unpopular to South African
Youth and I am sure people like Dr Disi are going to transport a new light and
direction in the country’s theatre productions. All we need to do is base our
full support on top of artists like him so that escalation is ensured.